Universal Basic Income and the Disabled — A Proposal

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

I’m a massive proponent of UBI. I don’t write about it much in part because others keep saying everything I’m going to say.

But there’s one aspect that I have yet to see a good article on (doesn’t mean there aren’t any, Medium’s algorithm might just have refused to pop them up).

That’s disability.

The Flaw in Universal Basic Income and Disability

So, the basic idea of UBI is that everyone should have enough to live on at a basic level. There are some disagreements on the details, but I personally define UBI as no strings payments sufficient to pay for food, clothing, shelter, telecommunications and a little bit over. This would have to vary from place to place and over time, and might have to fluctuate as UBI would almost certainly change where people want to live.

UBI could then replace SNAP, unemployment insurance, etc. When somebody loses their job, they don’t instantly descend into poverty. (Note that universal health care is a required part of the system).

But then, we have the disabled. Oh, but it’s great. They get enough money to live…

…brakes on the wheelchair.